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Dina Manzo's Guide to Divorce

February 1, 2016, 9:47 AM ET

Dina Manzo's Guide to Divorce

The #RHONJ mom shares the three things you need to know.

By
Amala Nath

2015 was rough year for Dina Manzo, as she went through the process of divorce. Not only was she unprepared, but also began to lose sight of her own personal journey as she battled through this tough time. Now, Dina is healing and has opened up to share some of her insight with her longtime friend and attorney, Vikki Ziegler on Blog Talk Radio.

1. It’s OK to Fall Off the Spiritual Wagon

If you’re anything like Dina, your spirituality is your major key to survival in this cold-hearted world. Although she kept saying she “fell off the spiritual wagon,” Dina now realizes that she never actually did. “I had some rough times and I had some days when I didn’t want to get out of bed, but I worked through it and you do the best you can do at the moment, and that’s what spirituality is,” she said.

One of Dina’s favorite phrases ever is, “This too shall pass.” Being in touch with all of your emotions instead of burying them brings out a person’s human side and besides, nobody likes a person who looks like they’ve lived a perfect life; you just come off as a jerk.

2. Don’t Be a Hater

Filing for divorce can easily turn into a nasty process if you have a negative mindset. While it was heartbreaking to see Dina and her ex go their separate ways, Dina continues to show gratitude for the experience – including the bad.

“I’m grateful for the lessons. I learned throughout, that I’m stronger than I thought I was,” she said.

As a believer is past lives, what keeps Dina going is the constant learning of life lessons. You’ve got to look at the bigger picture and say to yourself: “I want to get as much right as possible in this lifetime so in the next there won’t be any pain of divorce. I’ll know to choose the right men or women if I’m a man in the next life.”

3. Even If It Doesn’t Happen, Be Prepared

Dina’s biggest piece of advice is to always be prepared for divorce when you start to see the red flags, even if it doesn’t wind up happening.

Dina and her ex continued to live together for months after they knew it wasn’t working out and publicly announced their separation. The couple got along so well that they would still laugh and kiss each other goodbye in the morning as if they were a “happily married” couple. It’s no wonder why Dina was so unprepared when it came to getting her life together separate from his. After a very long emotional year Dina is feeling stronger and building a new life on the west coast.

Speaking of a couple that’s not prepared for divorce, tune in to the season finale of Untying the Knot on Monday February 1 at 10/9c when Vikki tries to mediate for a couple who fights over every asset – including a dictionary!